Wednesday, July 30, 2014

September Fun

Mommy Daphne taking her baby for a walk. A "walk" includes lots of frustration for both Mommy Daphne and me, but we survive since she loves it so much. It can take easily a half hour to move 3 houses between having to adjust the baby= temper tantrum, the stroller not moving perfectly straight = temper tantrum, to me adjusting the stroller for her = temper tantrum... etc, etc. but she sure does love walking her baby, so walking we go!
 




 Daphne also had her friend, Ada, over to play one morning while her mommy was at the doctor. They had fun watching Curious George together in my bed and later watching a movie and eating popcorn like "big girls".



We also had a fun day with Grandma feeding the ducks. One of the geese tried to eat Daphne too. We couldn't believe how feisty they were that day!







Monday, July 28, 2014

An eventful August

Looking back, it's a blessing we had so many mishaps in the month of August versus another month, because with August came lots of fun things too like the Park City Arts Festival and Lagoon (see next post) to help balance it out.  We also had the most amazing blessing come our way. Here is a little excerpt of it as shared in our Christmas letter:

·         In August, Dan got an amazing job! We were quite sad when the seminary teacher route didn’t work out, but feel very blessed to know that Heavenly Father still had us in mind. He is working at the LDS Bishop’s Central Storehouse as a supervisor over 30+ special needs missionaries. He is able to use his warehouse skills obtained in the Air Force, his degree in Special Education, and what he learned in the Seminary Teaching Program all in just this job. It’s funny how sometimes we don’t understand why our lives have changed routes so many times, but Heavenly Father always has a pretty awesome goal in mind if we just trust in Him. We are sure glad we did!

We are so grateful for all our many blessings and the trials that make us stronger, thus becoming blessings themselves. This month brought quite a few!

First- I broke my nose and had to have surgery. I was sitting on the floor downstairs looking through our game cabinet with the drawer open above my head. Dan asked me a question and I looked up, which caused me to scrape my entire nose up the bottom edge of the drawer. It felt awesome. Oh the clumsy things I do. A year later, my nose feels pretty much back to normal, unless something drastic happens like Daphne head-butting me (which when that does, it hurts pretty bad for a few days). The healing was a VERY slow process but I can officially now say I have broken a bone! First bone broken in my life. I would be okay if it's the last, haha!

I was so grateful for all the help I had. Dan had just started a new job so Dan's parents helped me the day of surgery so he didn't have to take off work. Dolores drove me to and from my surgery, and both Jeff and Dolores took turns watching Daphne throughout the whole day. To top the day off, our deadbolt broke while locked, which left me locked out of the house after my surgery. It was interesting to sit out in the hot sun on our porch right after I was released from the surgical center until Dan could get home from work with the garage door opener, haha. Jeff was nice enough to help Dan get it fixed later on that day.

I also had a sweet girl who could tell mommy wasn't quite well, so she helped feed me my dinner.



Poor sweet girl became quite sick herself, so we enjoyed the next day cuddling and having Aunt Nat help us to the doctor for Daphne and fed us yummy food. She was a lifesaver.



 Second- Dan's sweet Grandma Crandall passed away. We were blessed enough to be able to attend her funeral in St. George with the rest of the family. Daphne stayed with my mom as she was extremely sick and I had just had surgery a day before and didn't feel up to caring for her very well quite yet. She did great at my parent's house and I was so happy they were willing to help so I we could attend her funeral.

Darlene was such an amazing woman, it was hard to see her go, but we are so happy that she is now in Heaven with her beloved husband. I loved being able to attend her funeral and learn more about the remarkable woman that she was.



 
Lastly, my childhood dog, Angus, passed away. I knew it was coming for awhile, but the way it happened was very emotional for all of us. Dan and my dad were working on building my parent's deck when my mom and I came out with Daphne and Angus to say hi. The deck didn't have a railing yet and poor Angus walked right off of it (he was pretty blind at this point and couldn't see well enough to realize there was an edge) and fell and hit his head on a rock, which caused enough brain damage that he died almost instantly. My mom and I went immediately down there and were able to have a minute to say goodbye to him. It was really hard to watch. I know it was his time, but I wouldn't wish even my worst enemy watching their childhood best friend pass away like that. I miss him and so does Daphne. He had become her best friend too. I know he wasn't the perfect dog by any means, Dan and him sure had a pretty good rivalry going on, but I am grateful for the great memories he provided for Daphne and I. Most of all, I am so grateful that Daphne was safe through the whole thing. My mom and I were both trying to watch her and Angus very carefully and unfortunately Angus got away too quickly. I am so grateful my sweet little girl wasn't involved in the mishap.

August 2013- Arts Festival & Lagoon

One of my favorite traditions my family had growing up, was attending the Park City Arts Festival. We have gone a few times since we have been married and I still love it!
 
Waiting for the bus

The coolest bobblehead animals you will ever see- their heads bob in the wind


Yes, I attended the Arts Festival with a broken nose. I figured I had attended a wedding and a funeral already that month, I may as well go out in public to do something I enjoy! My nose was still pretty painful so we had to take the day fairly slow.  We took a break for ice cream at the Java Cow on Main Street. It's our favorite!




We were also able to go to Lagoon thanks to Andrew and Cami hooking us up with some awesome discount tickets!


Boston and Daphne were so cute together. They loved riding rides together. We all chuckled, especially when they were on this ride, because it always appeared as if Boston was taking Daphne on a date. This ride, our babies enjoyed a luxurious drive through the country. They could have cared less that their mommies and daddies weren't in sight!






 Apparently Daphne and I wore the same outfits to lagoon that we wore to Park City. At least my cast was gone for these pics!




The next week, we were able to use our bounceback passes to go to Lagoon with Rueben and Kamille (and yes, we are in the same outfits again...what can I say, they were our coolest outfits to wear on a very hot August day!).






Below right: I love how curly Daphne's hair is starting to get, especially when she is outside sweating in the hot sun!



Sunday, July 27, 2014

August 2013

Just some fun pictures from last August. Almost a year later, looking back at these pictures, I realize how much some of the things Daphne started to like to do around this age have become who she still is now. She is a popcorn, dress-up, bath time,  Band-Aid, "meme" (her blanket that she is obsessed over- who knows why she named it that!) and baby lover at heart.
 
Daphne discovered popcorn and fell in LOVE with it instantly. Whenever we make it, she steals the big red bowl and thinks it's all for her. This night, she had fun feeding daddy popcorn and vice versa.
 

 


Daphne found Dan's military socks one morning and had fun wearing them around the house. They were so huge on her she could barely move around, but she had a blast!



Shopping with mommy and daddy (notice her baby and "meme" aka her blanket in tow. S
he never goes anywhere without them)

...and more popcorn! Note, "meme" even has to eat breakfast with her!

Below left: her first "big girl" hair do. She is obsessed with the bath and will stay in forever so often I will fix her hair in more elaborate hair-dos while in the tub, since it's the only time she sits still! Below right: helping mommy clean.


Below left: passed out in the car. Below right: enjoying a nice dinner of sprinkles at grandma's house while mommy was away. Grandma had no idea she would figure out how to open the bottle and proceed to inhale the whole thing!


Below left: Helping daddy build Grandma and Grandpa Black's deck. Below left: Daphne putting pieces of vinyl all over her body. Anything that will stick to her, she wears. She is obsessed with wearing Band-Aids and stickers.


 
Riding the horsie at the Davis County fair. She was so excited! She loves horses and begs to ride one every time she sees one.




She even tries to ride paper mache horses at the store.... haha



Playing dress-up with Grandpa when he came to town:



Being a good "doctor" to all the babies at the treehouse museum